Christian freed after eight years in prison in Pakistan

A Christian man in Pakistan, who languished in jail for nearly eight years, has been released after he was acquitted by a court in Lahore. Humayun Allahrakha (formerly known as Humayun Faisal Masih), now 32, was burning newspaper in Sanda, a town in Lahore district, in May 2015 when Muslim onlookers accused him of blasphemy, claiming that the papers contained verses of the Qur'an.

Hundreds of people fled for their lives after an Islamist mob running into thousands went on the rampage, attacking Christian homes and places of worship including the local St Joseph's Catholic Church.

Mr Masih, a street cleaner, was detained by police before the mob had a chance to lynch him but he was charged in connection with section 295B of the Pakistan Penal Code, which carries a life sentence for desecration of the Qur'an.

The National (Catholic) Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), a Catholic-run advocacy organisation, fought to prove Mr Allahrakha's innocence and finally the Lahore District and Sessions Court acquitted him.

He was released from jail and was transferred to a safe location amid continuing fears for his safety.